Improvement in hand mowing-machines



L. M DOUDNA.

Lawn Mower.

Patented Oct. 29, 1861.

NOQ 33,578.

g g/Q win/6.566 Wk UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

L. M. DOUDNA, OF AMHERST, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND MOWlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33.578, dated October 29, 1861.

To all whom it may concern .Be it known that I, L. M. DOUDNA, of Amherst, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and Improved Hand Mowing-Machine; and I do hereby'declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, ref erence being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line 00 00, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a simple and efficient mowing-machine to be operated by handone that can be operated or shoved along by a single person with iacility and perform good work.

The invention is more especially designed for mowing lawns and meadows containing trees, around which an ordinary mowing-machine drawn by a team could not be made to operate to advantage.

The invention consists in mounting an ordinary handframe on wheels, the axis of which is provided with a serpentine cam, said cam, as the machine is shoved along, op-

erating or vibrating a bar having a segment" cutter at its outer end, and which works over a stationary segment-cutter plate, all being arranged, as hereinafter fully described, to

effect the desired result.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents a rectangular metal frame, to the back part of which two handles, B B, are secured. The handles B B are inclined somewhat like plow-handles, and are connected by a cross-bar, C.

In the frame A there are placed two wheels, D D. These wheels are fitted on a common axle, and they have their edges or peripheries .notched or serrated to prevent slipping.- The two wheels D D are connected by a drum, E, which is provided with a serpentine ledge, F. (Shown clearly in Fig. 2.)

To the front end of the frame A there is attached a flat bar, G, which has a segmentplate, H, at its front end. The front edge of plate H is serrated or provided with V-shaped cutters a, and on the bar G there is secured, by a fulcrum-pin, a, a bar, I, at the front end of which there is a segment-plate, J This .plate J is also provided at its front end with V-shaped teeth or cutters b, which are placed directly over the cutters a of the plate H. The segment-plates H J are portions of a circle, of which the pin a is the center. The lower plate, II, is somewhat wider than the upper one, J, and the former has two guides, c 0, attached, which fit over the back part of the plate J in hook form. The inner end of the bar I has a notch, d, made in it to receive the ledge F of drum E. (See Fig. 2.)

From the above description it will be seen that as the machine is shoved along the serpentine ledge F will vibrate the bar I and cutter-plate J, and the grass will be out between the teeth or cutters a b of the plates H J, the plate J working in the arc of a circle.

By this arrangement a very simple device is obtained for the purpose, the cutter-plate J being operated in a very direct manner and with but little friction. The drum E and wheels D D are covered by a cap, K.

I am aware that serpentine cams have been used for operating reciprocating sicklcs but so far as I am aware they have been employed for operating straight sickles, themovement of which is in a right line, and arranged entirely different from my plan, as herein described.

It is believed that the withiirdescribed invention forms an exceedingly simple device, which can be operated by hand with facility, as the parts are reduced to their simplest form, so as to avoid unnecessary friction.

I do not claim separately any of the withindescribed parts; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The combination of the stationarycutterplate H and vibrating cutter-plate J, operated through the medium of the bar I andscrpentine ledge F, which is attached to the drum E of the wheels D D, all being arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

L. M. 'DOUDNA.

W'itnesses:

JONATHAN KNIGHT, MARY J. KNIGHT. 

